A Quiet Nudge
by TayShanHan
Summary: Someone told Nudge that they love her. She doesn't believe it...but a certain blind bird kid may have a good idea.
1. Shh! No Talking!

**Summary: Someone told Nudge he loves her while she's sleeping...And she wants to find out.**

**The first part takes place in the Flock's original cabin. The second part takes place at Anne's house during School's Out-Forever.**

_**~TayShanHan**_

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><p><strong>PART 1<strong>

_"I love you."_

That's what jolted me awake. In any other case, I would've scrambled out of bed to tell Max or ignored it all together. Sleep was important, you know? And for all I know it could've been a dream. My dreams are always like that. But...this time it was different. I didn't subconsciously think of someone saying it.

I heard it. I truly, truly heard it. Or at least...I thought I did.

Did I?

So, with a weird heaviness in my chest I sat upright in bed, staring at the door across the room that lead into the hallway.

"I'll just...go get a drink." I decided out loud, and threw the covers away from me, crossing the room to the door and slowly opening it as not to alert anyone. As I walked into the kitchen, I tried to place my mind on something else, mumbling little things I'd read in magazines in order to block out the perfectly distinct voice. It didn't just irritate me, it mocked me.

"What are you doing up?" I practically flew through the ceiling from shock, but thank God I didn't. At the door of the refrigerator stood Iggy with a carton of milk in hand, studying it to make sure he'd gotten what he wanted. He probably couldn't tell it was me. His eyes were focused on the wall.

"It's Nudge. I'm just coming in for a drink." I informed him. He turned his head in my direction, smiled and held up the carton.

"Want milk?" He asked. "…I am holding up milk, right?"

"You are. Yeah, I'll have some." I shrugged, doing him the favor of pulling out two cups and setting them on the counter. He poured half-cups for both of us, returning the carton to the fridge and then taking a seat at the table. I joined him, sitting cross-legged in the chair beside him.

"You must've had one hell of a nightmare if it shut you up this bad." Iggy smirked, chuckling.

"What are you saying? It's like...midnight! I..." I couldn't agree any more with him, though. To think that I, the infamous Nudge Channel, would _ever_ have a moment of silence!

But here I was with nothing to say.

"...You could say I had sort of a nightmare." I rested my head on my hand, pushing my empty cup away from me.

"'Sort of' as in a bad memory from The School...or 'sort of' as in opening your mouth and learning you have no vocal chords?" Iggy guessed.

"'Sort of' as in hearing someone say something...But when you wake up there's no one in the room with you." I mumbled.

"Oooooh, now Nudge is channeling ghosts!" Iggy joked, stretching out each word to prove his point. I glared at him through the corner of my eyes, stifling the impulse to laugh. Iggy had that tendency to be immature. Who was really older, him or Gazzy? I wish I knew.

"But really, what did you hear? I'm interested." Iggy smiled, turning his head in my direction. I can't say he looked directly at me, but it appeared that way to me as I looked into his light blue eyes.

"Uhh...It was nothing. It's really funny, actually!" I scooted myself from the table, putting my cup in the sink and walking towards the hallway leading to the bed rooms. It wouldn't be worth getting laughed at by Iggy unless everyone heard him and could laugh at me too.

"Tell me, then, and stop moving around. I can't see you." I listened as Iggy stood from his chair and crossed the kitchen floor, and then grabbed my arm.

"You couldn't see me in the first place..." I muttered, brushing his hand away from me. Well, now or never, right? No use making the moment more awkward than it was, I figured.

"... I thought I heard someone tell me they love me." I confessed.

_Wait for it. Wait for it...?_

But the blind bird boy didn't wise-crack me into oblivion. He just smirked and put his hand on my head, rustling my super-curls.

"_Woah_, if that's a nightmare to you, I can't wait to see how you react to having your first kiss if you have one." He chuckled. I scowled at him, though it's not like he could see it, so I gave him a weak punch to the gut.

"Very funny, Ig. How'd I even come up with the idea that some guy would say that, anyway?" I folded my arms, ducking away from him, even though I knew it was all in good nature for him to be teasing me about such a ridiculous dream. With a wry smile to him I walked to my bedroom, opening the door. But once more I could hear him follow. As I walked to bed, I turned, looking through the darkness at him leaning against the doorway. He was standing there, smiling in my direction. I was pretty sure he couldn't see me, but even so his sightless eyes were on me.

"What is it?" I asked as I climbed into bed, quietly so not to wake Angel in her little nest. Note to self: Ask Angel if she heard whoever came in…if anyone at all.

"Just checking the room for ghosts. Don't want to have one kiss you, do you?" He taunted.

"I hope you trip and fall." I rolled my eyes.

"Expect to find a stink bomb in your dresser, then."

And with that, he was gone. I settled under the covers and glanced around the room before being lulled into sleep.

Max had to pry me from bed once morning actually came. I fought waking up, but she continued to nag me.

"Come on, Nudge, it's time to get up." She said, finally getting me to stand on my own two feet. So while she woke up Angel I groggily stood there before prompting myself to greet the sunshine coming through the windows. When the light caught my eyes, I had to open them. Max was already in the kitchen, hopefully not cooking, and Angel was just outside of her nest, combing through her golden hair with her hand.

"Morning, Angel." I smiled.

"Morning." She chirped.

As far as I could tell, she didn't notice anything from last night. Or did she? I had to remind myself.

"I can hear you, Nudge." Angel stated matter-of-factly.

_Duh._

"I'm just thinking. I had a weird dream." I told her.

"About Iggy?" Angel tilted her head, smiling at me.

"N-No…Why?" I felt my face get hot. Angel gave me one of her cute little know-it-all smirks as she stood to join the others in the kitchen. At this point everyone had woken up. The commotion coming from the kitchen meant Max and Fang were probably at it again.

"I won't tell." The little girl giggled as she left the room, giving me no choice but to follow. All right, Nudge. No more funny dream business. I'll forget about the whole thing.

And so another day began.


	2. A Confessional Moment

**PART 2**

It happened again.

Even after all the stuff that'd filled the last month or two of my life, I woke up once more in the middle of the night, except this time in my fluffy bed in Anne's paradise house. And once again it was because of the same voice.

"_I still love you."_

So like before I climbed out of bed. I hadn't even thought about that night lately. What with all the crazy things that suddenly plagued our lives only a day afterward, it became the least of my problems. But this time I was determined to find out who it was. Obviously it was a prank. Iggy probably told Fang or Gazzy about it, and just wanted to mess with me.

That sounds stupid. If that was the case, why wait until now?

Walking out into the hallway, I tried to make little noise and tiptoed down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Oh, good, I'm not the only one who thought it would be nice to go outside for a bit."

Iggy. _Of course…_

He was standing in the kitchen, head fixed in my direction.

"…It's Nudge." I told him, not leaving my spot at the entrance to the kitchen.

"Hmm, what is it? Another 'nightmare'?" He teased. I took it he hadn't forgotten about it either.

"Maybe." I glared at him.

"Take me outside, then." He held out a hand. It was more of a request than a command. I nodded, taking his hand and guiding him out the back door of the house. In fear of getting lost in the pitch black that was the country, I made him stand in the grass not too far from the house.

"There. You're outside. But I'm not sure right now's a great time to go flying." I told him.

"I didn't want to fly."

I didn't notice until then that he hadn't let go of my hand. His face was in my direction, his sightless eyes staring so deeply into mine that I could swear he actually could see me. So I wriggled my hand away from his, and stepped back. He frowned.

"Don't leave me." He reached out, but I stayed just out of his range. Just the way he closed his eyes and opened them again, straining to put his eyes into focus, made my heart race.

"I'm right here." I told him, taking his hand and gently putting it on my shoulder. With a smile, Iggy closed his eyes, and hesitantly he moved his hand to my cheek. I let him, but a chill rocketed down my spine as he caressed my cheek, and slowly brought my face closer to his.

"I'm sorry," He whispered.

"Why?"

"You'll have nightmares forever now." He smirked, and pressed his lips against mine. It lasted less than a second, but as he pulled away he took my breath with him. We stood there in the dark for only a minute longer before he traced his thumb across my bottom lip, and his other arm began to wrap around me, pulling us together.

"I – Iggy…" Was all I could muster to say before our lips met again, this time Iggy being more aggressive. I denied his tongue a way to mine from just the sheer shock I was in. But that only made him more persistent. I broke from the kiss, resting my head against his chest.

"So it was you."

"I'm a little surprised you didn't figure it out the first time around. You're so slow, Nudge." He chuckled.

"But…why?" I cuddled against him.

"Does there have to be a reason?"

"I guess not."

"Take me to your room." He said finally after another deep silence.

"W – What?" I gasped, looking up at him.

"I want to make sure I'm the only ghost you ever have in your room with you." He smirked, taking hold of my hand.

"That was cheesy." I smiled, and helped him into the house. As we made our way up the stairs his arm came around my waist. I blushed, glancing up at him. He had his eyes closed, a thin smile of content on his face. I leaned in against him, chuckling. We slept in the same bed that night.

Max was pissed when she came to wake me up, but Iggy had a pretty good excuse. He sat up in bed with a shocked expression, gasping.

"Oh my god, I must've gotten into the wrong bed." He shuffled out of the bed, feeling for the wall.

"Morning, ladies." And with a little smirk in my direction he left the room. Max folded her arms, glaring at me. Serious as always.

"You two will get it later." She said.

"All right," I sighed, and my talking began again.


	3. How Could You?

Part 3

_How could you?_

The moment I saw him look back at us and weakly smile I thought that. My lower lip quivered. Tears welled up in my eyes. I felt Gazzy's form press against me. He was crying too. But not for the same reason. Even as we all smiled and encouraged him to walk through those doors with the two adults who called him son, I couldn't help but curse him.

_You jerk._

_You horrible, horrible jerk._

When his sightless eyes fell upon us, I couldn't tell who he was expecting to see. Was it me? I'm not even sure from the place I stand. Or rather...sit. It's only the day after. I sit in this desk like a normal kid. I'll go home to Anne's paradise house and sit down and do whatever homework I'm assigned and then continue to help Max in our quest to find out who's been ruining what could've been our perfect lives.

But this time it's different. When the rest of the flock are in their rooms, Iggy won't sneak in and sit with me on my bed and browse on the computer for a bit before Max or Fang came in to take it. No more whispering sweet nothings in my ear before we curled up to sleep together either in mine or his bed. No more thinking about doing it, and then when we try barely getting past that one thing.

What was it? Foreplay.

He said we'd cross the rocky bridge eventually.

"What a liar!" I cried through gritted teeth. I opened my eyes. The entire class was staring at me, even the teacher. I held onto my breath. But what did it matter? I knew all of these kids were just people. If we ever left Anne's, I'd never see any of them again. They changed, they came and go. The flock didn't. Up until just yesterday I was okay with that.

I sunk down into my seat at the request of the teacher, and proceeded to hold my head in my hands and cry my eyes out.

That is…until a certain familiar voice yelled down the hall.

"Gazzy! Nudge! Move, move!"

And into motion I went. Like I'd expected, we were on the move again. No more class, no more fluffy bed, no more…easy life. Even though I loved it here, I knew it wasn't going to last. We all knew. The only difference was that it was only six of us now.

Would you believe things turned from bad to worse? Of course you would. We're mutant bird kids on the run from the evil organization that created us. As I floated here in the airspace above Anne's house and watched Max talk to Jeb—that bastard—and Anne herself, my thoughts finally began to center on the real problem. Finally I couldn't help but think my life and the rest of the flocks' couldn't get any better.

For Max or Fang or Angel, of course it would. They're the ones who make sense. Fang may have said Max was the only one that mattered, but me and Iggy and Gazzy knew he was just being modest. They get what they want and have a purpose in this whole thing. When it was over—should our nightmare ever end—Max and Fang would take Angel and elope. It only seemed logical that way. Gazzy would follow them because of Angel, and I would have…

"Hey,"

My heart literally skipped a beat mid-air. As reality jolted me back into motion, Max had joined us in the air and we were just about to take off to the bat cave when the familiar pair of large white wings flapped behind the idle form of none other than him.

Iggy.

"…Were you all about to leave without me?" He asked. And without any further question, we took flight.

Downtime. This was that moment of peace in which the seven—thank god for seven—of us sat in the bat cave, waiting for our next move. While Max and Fang were talking about Anne's betrayal, and Angel and Gazzy played with Total, Iggy and I had snuck out. The two of us hovered low enough in the air for us to stay hidden.

"Why?" Was the first thing I asked. He was caught off guard by it, actually. Just as he was holding his arms out to embrace me I dropped the question on him like a punch.

"Why what?" He blinked.

"Why'd you leave me?" I asked. His head lowered. He probably expected this when he decided to come back to us at the _last possible minute_.

"Nudge, you know as much as I do that all of us want to see our real parents. And I told you! I told everyone that it was bad. I wanted to come home." Iggy explained, putting his hands on my shoulders.

"I wanted to see…!" He caught himself. "…you."

"You suck, you know that?"I hated myself. How could I get mad at him when he says something like that? My eyes began to water, lips quivering.

"What? Did I make you _that _mad? I'm sorry." Iggy pulled me against him for a long embrace. I continued to sob against him, sucking in a deep breath.

"But…But you're horrible! You're too nice! There's a chance that at any minute some Eraser could come and kill us, and all you care about is seeing _me_!" I rubbed my head against him, clutching his back. I felt his head rest on mine, and his arms around me soften. And finally I felt his lips against my forehead.

"You really need to stop judging me by the things I say." He chuckled, putting his hand on my chin and pulling my face up to look at him. He was smiling, his crystal-like eyes focused on me. It's when he did this I had to wonder what could he _really _see? Was it just the black nothing blind people would always complain about? With Iggy…I didn't even know.

"Then tell me. When you thought about me, what did I look like to you?" I asked.

"Well…" Iggy closed his eyes. I blushed as his hand moved across my cheek and to my hair, running his hands through it.

"…I imagine long, dark hair and maybe brown eyes."

With one hand he caressed my neck, giving me a chill. He brought his hand across my shoulder, ignoring my shirt. He slid his hand under it. I watched in shock and awe as a little smirk graced his face and his hand drew back up my shoulder to my collarbone.

"I-Iggy…?" I couldn't even say his name without trailing off into a daze.

"Lastly, I imagine skin smooth and touchable. The color of chocolate." He smiled warmly.

I wanted. To die.

And just when I was sure he couldn't do any more, he drew a finger across my lips, and pulled my face closer to his.

"_Now_ can you forgive me for leaving?" He asked in a whisper. I nodded, wrapping my arms around his neck as his hands rested on my hips.

"As long as you promise we'll be together forever. Even if we're not in the same place, you can't forget about me." I requested.

"I promise."

We kissed.

And kissed.

And kissed.

I didn't even mind this time when Max caught us. Iggy had another one of his oh-so-clever retorts.

"What _are_ you two doing?" Max had a look of horror on her face.

"What? It's pretty tame compared to you and Fang. I might be blind, but I can _hear_ you two."

We agreed not to talk about it. There was a journey we had to continue. But as long as I had Iggy, everything could stay imperfect forever.


	4. An Outspoken Iggy

**Big Update! I just got a hold of a copy of "NEVERMORE: The Final Maximum Ride Adventure"! So you know what that means? "A Quiet Nudge" continues! Oh yes, you'll get to see if Iggy and Nudge are really meant to be. But for now, let's see the situation from Iggy's viewpoint. This chapter takes place at the Flock's new home in Oregon, during the beginning of Nevermore (Between chapters 9 and 14 to be exact). So spoiler alerts abound in this part if you haven't read up to "ANGEL".**

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><p><strong>PART 4<strong>

_This is going to be short._

_Why? I'm blind, that's why._ _I can't even tell where I am let alone what's going on around me. So don't expect a bunch of detail on every pattern on the walls or every person's ugly mug, because I sure don't know what any of them look like. But why am I talking to some invisible audience in the bleachers, who sit there eagerly with pen and paper in hand jotting down every little word I say? Shouldn't I be awake and deterring to a routine of some sort? Or flying somewhere? Or being dead weight?_

_Because I'm losing my mind, that's why. _

I stood at my little wooden podium, towering over it in my height, and spoke in a voice I couldn't hear clearly. The audience appeared like little blobs in the familiar darkness. They were anxious to hear what I had to say, so why keep them waiting?

"It all began when I was born. But everyone knows that story. So I guess it begins with when I lost my eyesight. Oh wait, everyone knows that too…"

Silence in the lecture hall.

"It was a tragedy. A lot of pain. A lot of screaming. A lot of eggs-being-sliced-open and science talk and then blackness. Complete blackness, if you didn't know. And I was awake for every brutal second! It's not fun being blind, but it's not horrible either. At least I never have to see those bastards who did this to me again. Okay, that's a lie. I saw them maybe once or twice or three times recently. Talk about a heartfelt reunion, right?"

"...I'm getting off track."

_So let's say I was already crazy, and just descended deeper into madness as these months became longer, and longer, and then shorter again. I've gone through hell, to be blunt about it. A spiraling, endless hell-with-a-whopping-side-of-purgatory filled with mind-control, people leaving the Flock, betrayal, flying until I want to claw my wings own off, and explosions._

How my stomach curled when I thought of all of it at once.

Angel...Angel was the most recent of it. That poor baby. Yeah, she was just a baby to me too. She was taken from us all too soon and I don't know what to feel about it. None of us do. Like elephants that mourn when a member of their group, we all took our time mourning for her. It seemed like we each got over it in levels, from youngest to oldest. But even then we don't even sit and talk about how we all feel. There's just nothing to say.

So I decided to move on, and the rest of us followed suit.

Most of us followed suit.

That's when we nested (get it? Nested! It's funny cause we're mutant bird kids) up in scenic coastal Oregon. And by scenic, I mean it sounded scenic by what Gazzy was relaying to me off of a brochure we picked up. I sure can't tell on my own. Supplied a cozy little house by some guy named Pierpont and a one-way ticket to this school called Newton, we settled down. We anxiously, uncomfortably, irrationally settled down. So I picked my head up from my desk, wiped the drool off of it with my sweater sleeve, and paid attention to the teacher's coffee-fueled sermon on...English? History? I was zoned out too long to remember where I was or what I was doing. I tapped the student beside me, knowing he was there only by chance, and whispered, "Hey, what are we doing?"

"Sheep Cloning Experiment conducted by British in 1996. Dude, keep up, we're having a quiz tomorrow." He answered. _Oh, wow, biology_. I thought. I was _way_ off.

"Thanks." Sinking back onto the hard stool, I realized something. I should have just stayed asleep. The last thing I wanted to hear about was genetic mutations. And if I was correct, neither did Max or her boy toy Dylan on the other side of the classroom.

"Tomorrow, students, we will be conducting experiments on the biology of chickens. So be prepared! If you're squeamish, you might just want to skip." The teacher reminded us. So the class was about to end. _Sweet_. Wait...the biology of chickens? Experimentation?

Before the bell could even try ringing, I was out of the room.

Not looking forward to tomorrow in the least, I flew home that afternoon after soccer practice as per the new usual. It's not like I'm the best player on the team or anything, but I am. The bunch of yahoos didn't even think I had it in me. _I_ didn't even think I had it in me. Cocky, I'm not, but I felt too lazy to reminisce on it. Max was fervent about picking me up, saying that we have to stick together on these things, but with Gazzy out at Science Club and me being the ripe old age of fifteen, she chose to wait for the former and let me fly home on my own. "Fly" meaning I had pretended to walk for about a minute and then said, "Screw it! I have a girl to see."

...There's that word again. Trust me, I misuse it a lot.

Attributing to my ever-present insanity was Nudge. My brown-eyed, ferociously talkative, wonder-bodied, sweet-lipped...fellow Flock member. To drop her that low of a tittle made me lose a few feet and brush the tops of a pine tree. I'd almost lost her so many times recently that the very thought of it made my heart sink. Even more so when I had to admit it...we'd been drifting. Using that word to describe it brought a chill of dread down my spine.

It wasn't a loss of interest. No, she never got boring.

Never. Ever. Ever.

She was always saying something new, or dressing in something prettier or more fashionable (I could tell by a thing called doing her laundry. It's not weird! I just always get stuck with laundry duty) and being a ray of sunshine in the oblivion that was our lives. I'm not very positive myself...however she gave me reasons to try to be. But since the incident at Max's mom's place, that brainwashing, the Doomsday group rally, and Max's half-sister Ella...our little midnight rendezvous stopped like a dead end in a hedge maze. Meaning either she got bored of me, or I screwed up. Really bad. And trust me, I'd gone over it again and again in my head. It was one of the two, and the former didn't seem possible…did it?

I felt somewhat selfish. Okay, yes, I was getting a little too close to Ella. Yes, I hung out with her. Yes, we were both together when we got brainwashed. Yes, I don't know where she's at now and it does slightly worry me. AND YES, she's really pretty from what I've been able to feel, which isn't much. I touched her face once or twice to understand what she looked like, but never any more. Not like with Nudge.

No, we still hadn't done a thing. Not much time to.

But still I knew what I'd done. I knew it all too well. I'd nonchalantly touch her face when the others weren't looking, claiming that I was searching for something to hold on to, and there would be no little curve in her lips telling me that she was smiling. Just a straight line. Like she didn't like it any more. Like it didn't make her cheeks warm with blush because she knew we weren't allowed to act like we were together. And even though I never looked it, I hid the little pangs of sadness with a smile. It wasn't like the months before that, when after she'd irrationally left us for normal school and came flying back practically the next day. Then we were still close. She had embraced me through the night and said she'd never leave me again.

Of course that happened before the former event. So now it didn't matter anymore. We were all a little messed up now, so if she wasn't sure what to think of me, I couldn't blame her.

Even as I thought about it, I landed at the front door of the house and pushed my way through it. It was far too long since we'd actually had a talk that wasn't awkward or not related to us at all. Like earlier today, when I decided to ruin her little talk with friends at lunch. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if I was kicked in the face the minute she saw me. But hey, those biddies were asking for it.

"Hey, I'm home…!" I called, dropping my backpack at the front entryway and using the wall as my guide. The TV in the kitchen was on a channel about the latest fashion trends. The crackles of popcorn kernels and low humming of our dinosaur microwave complemented it nicely. Her voice made it all a symphony as a good feeling rushed over my body and a smile crept up my lips. She was home. I was home. No Max to nag, no Dylan to agree with everything she said, no Gazzy to distract me…

I turned my head this way and that. The house was devoid of scampering and paws padding away at the wooden floors. I could add 'No Total to be a complete pain in the neck' to my list. No matter how short it was now that two of us were gone.

"…And then I was like 'No, I'm too small!' and he said 'Girl, please. It's just a jacket. Put it on!'" Her voice brought me feeling my way toward the kitchen. She was on the phone with someone from school. _That's Nudge for you._ I thought. _Made friends quicker than any of us, except maybe Dylan_.

But what was Nudge talking about anyways? I crouched behind the counter when I heard the beeping of the microwave and her scrambling to get it. Straining my ears a little, I listened.

"He's a huge hottie, that's what he is! Jen, please, I don't really care about that."

_Who is "he?" exactly? _I wondered.

"…I think he's interested but, you know, you know. I mean yeah but..."

_Was she making deals with kids at school?_

She giggled. "Hehe yeah maybe! I mean like I said, Sloan's a hottie! I'd go after him in a heartbeat if I could!"

_What?_

_What?_

"_WHAT?_" My voice cracked as I shot up from my hiding spot. My body jumpstarted into motion. Before I knew it myself I snatched the phone from her hand and slammed it onto the counter. I couldn't find the receiver. But that was fine. Jen deserved to hear every word that was running through my head. I turned sharply in Nudge's direction. She was frozen in the same place.

"Iggy!" She sounded surprised, but that turned over in a heartbeat.

"What are you doing?! I was on the phone with my friend! You jerk, you could have broken it!" _Her_ chastising _me?_ Oh no, I didn't think so.

"Who are you to call _me_ a jerk? What have _you_ been up to?! Who's this _Sloan_ guy?!" I sounded like Max. Scary. What was even scarier was the feeling of rage so ardent in my gut that my wings extended slightly in an act of intimidation. I heard a little gasp escape from her.

"Oh, I don't know! I've been trying to live a normal life! Be friends with normal people! Like normal guys!" I snapped at that. Along with the jarring feeling of my heart lurching in utter defeat, I felt my wings extend completely, knocking over a few plastic cups and the bowl of popcorn, and I grabbed her arms, forcing her wings to fly out, knocking over a few more objects. But I trumped her by a few feet and a lot more strength. No, I didn't throw her or punch her or even think about hitting her. I froze up.

My muscles tensed, and hers as well. Breathing heavily, I strained my eyes trying to convey some sort of expression of both rage and hollowness. Her silence told me I was doing something right. So I spoke first only to calm myself down further.

"Don't do this to me." I spoke brokenly.

"Do what?"

"Don't do that thing that people on TV do. You know, when they go off and date other people to make their exes jealous and want them back. Because it's really, really effective and I don't like it at all." I told her submissively. Her voice changed then. She was no longer angry with me. Her muscles relaxed as if they were tired of straining themselves, and mine responded by doing the same possibly in sync with her.

"You're my ex?" She asked blankly.

"Aren't I?" I bit my lower lip. Now I couldn't even tell what I was thinking. Why did I go off on her like that? Why would I try and hurt her? We weren't together anymore. She had all the right in the world to try to be normal. That was what she wanted, and who could deny her that after all she had been through? It occurred to me then that maybe I just couldn't be a part of that normalcy.

But suddenly her arms were around my neck, pulling me to crouch in order for her chin to rest snugly on my shoulder. Her hands clutched the back of my sweater, making it tight around my neck. Her chin moved up my shoulder, hands clenched tighter and moved lower, and as my wings folded in neatly again, she stroked them. I could feel her so closely that I thought I was in a lucid dream. It had been way too long since we'd been together like it.

"Iggy…" She whispered my name lowly, like a seductress, but she wasn't trying to be sultry. I found myself embracing her in the same way, hands crawling down her familiar back, wrapping her at the waist, and bringing her to me. The feeling was beyond euphoria. It was rapturous.

We hugged.

Just that. We hugged.

"I'm sorry. I really am." I told her.

"You don't have to be. I've been horrible lately. Not just to you but to everyone." She began to sob, so I held her tighter.

"It's okay, Nudge. Don't cry, I know. It's okay to be mean. You just want to be normal…" I was never very good at being sympathetic.

"But that's just it!" Her voice rose, and then lowered again, "I don't know…if that's really all I want."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not happy…not completely…when I go to school. Or when I wake up and put on all the clothes and the make up. Or when I talk to my friends or to anyone there. It feels like none of it's real. Like it'll all go away and be a bad dream and I'll wake up on some experimenting table at the School. But then I tell myself that if I just want it more and work harder to be normal maybe it will be real and soon it will all make sense. It'll all melt away and there won't be any more running or trouble…" I could see where she was going with it. But I didn't know whether to be happy and relieved or fearful for what had become of her. I thought for a moment that maybe I wasn't the only one losing it but pretending that I wasn't.

"…When I'm here though. When I'm with you and the flock, I know all of it is real. I know you won't leave me behind, and I can tell you everything because everything I know came from here. Even without Fang, even without…Angel…I don't feel so strange and out of place. Sure everything's not in place right now but it's home. I like my home. And leaving it behind sounds like leaving life itself."

"Do you want to stay home?" I gently placed my hand on her chin and pushed her away so I could simulate some form of looking directly at her. But for all I know I could have been looking at a toaster directly behind her and appear to be a real idiot. It didn't matter if I was.

"Yes," She sniffled, "I really do."

So I kissed her. And I wove my hands through her hair, and rubbed my forehead against hers, and breathed in sync with her. Oh yeah, when we were together we were in sync. Fitting each other like gloves. So we made a pair. Imperfect genetically but emotionally perfect for each other, meant to be or not, we were a pair and nothing could stop that. To my utter joy and my heart's acceleration, she returned it. I remember hearing a song on the radio that said that kissing with your eyes open meant the girl really wasn't in love with you. Really did that matter to me? I couldn't tell either way. My only indicator that we weren't going anywhere but up was the prolonged time we spent breaking and gluing ourselves back together, and how she gasped when I broke away quickly in order to slow myself down. Like most teenage mutant bird kids my mind wandered to that place even normal kids went when they were pseudo-making out with the love of their life and the house was blissfully empty.

I had her on the counter in an instant. Yes, the counter. I needed the ground and the sound she made when I crawled over her was music to my ears.

"Iggy!" Her exclamation was a harsh whisper practically.

"Shhh…" One hand traced her figure until I found her arm, cleared it, and then cupped her cheek. Her chocolate skin was familiar as every time before, only now instead of the dead silence of night being our cover, it was the TV's continuous running that let me know we were actually connecting in the daylight. Though I hadn't seen daylight in years. Despite that thought I did a familiar motion and ran my thumb across her plump lips until they opened slightly and then tilted her head back a bit. The optimal position for a well deserved, far too long awaited, passionate, able to brag about, awesome-as-hell make out session.

"Nudge…" I leaned forward, arched my back slightly, and…!

"You guys, have you seen Max? She was supposed to pick me up from Science Club but she wasn't there and neither was Dylan."

_Dang it, Gazzy!_

Reluctantly I stumbled off of Nudge and onto the floor as he entered the kitchen.

"Iggy! Nudge! Hey can you stop making out for five minutes and help me with my math homework?" I heard his shoes crash against the wall, having been tossing recklessly off probably.

"We weren't making out." I said coyly, turning in the direction of his voice. _We were about to._

"Why is the kitchen a mess then, dude?" Gazzy asked accusingly.

"Me and Iggy were just trying to cook!" Nudge attempted to help me. Gazzy wasn't having any of it, though. I regretted telling him that Nudge and I were in a relationship. At least he didn't squeal about it.

"Nudge, Please. I'll be in my room. Finish whatever it is and call me when you're done. Sheesh!" He walked down the hallway to the bedrooms. I felt Nudge take my hand. We stayed silent until we heard his door close.

"So…does midnight sound good?" She asked me.

"Yeah," I answered, a little smile creeping up my face, "If you don't show up, I'll visit you in your dreams."

"Iggy, that's terrifying."

"I'm glad it is." And I kissed her on the forehead.


End file.
